Well….I braved the heat this morning and tried some more experiments on my tug to try to solve the reception problem. I double checked the motor/caps and they are there and appear ok. But like I've said...the problem is still there with out the motor even turning.

I field tested with antenna (receiver) down and also up the mast….no noticeable difference when the transmitter antenna is down. As soon as I turn away, with my back to the tug, and start walking… the tug which is just turned on and not given any signals, starts it’s motor sound module and blows it's horn which is on a separate channel. The motor also revs and the rudder moves too. If I pull out the transmitter antenna, everything settles down until I get across the yard. I tried unplugging both of the servos with no effect.

I have to tell ya….I’m stumped! It makes no difference which transmitter, receiver or ESC (tried 3) I use. It makes no difference if the ESC is shielded with foil or not. It does this at home and at the pond. The receiver antenna does not cross any other wires, and I've moved the receiver around while testing.

The more height I get on the antenna, the better is seems to be, but I am 19 inches above the water now and out of wire.

First, given your 2 tx's, 2 rx's and 3 esc's, you have 12 combinations to test. I'd recommend you make a result matrix to be sure you have in fact tested all 12. If you have more than one flakey element in there, you'll never id it w/o a matrix; at least that's been my experience in debugging systems.

Second, Assuming you have tested all 12 possibilities, the only common elements to the failure appear to be the tug's: a) motor, b)wiring, c) battery. These will also have to be tested. I'd set up the radio+esc+a similar motor on the bench next to your tug (which is dead, no battery), then perform the range/glitch test. This is to id any radio freq crap floating around separate from the tug's involvement.

If all goes well, then it's time to start testing the tug's 3 elements separately. Remove the tug's motor and substitute it, on the bench, for the "similar motor" you already proved works fine. Could be your tug's motor has a bad capacitor (or bad cap solder joint to the motor), which is enhansing, rather than reducing, radio freq crap generation. If the tug's motor works ok on the bench, then the wiring or tug battery are at fault. If you have a broken wire in there somewhere (tug, rx, antenna), vibration could make it generate rf crap. Or, if the elements don't use the same ground, that could cause problems.

I left out servos and the sound module interactions, but you could, and probably should, add them to the matrix. Gets complicated :-( Any part could be giving feedback to the rx that causes problems.

Murphy is alive and well here!

Today I tried some more things to find the problem with my reception. I completely unplugged the motor , so now I am 100% positive that it is not the culprit. Two completely different transmitters, two completely different receivers, three ESCs and I moved the battery outside the tug and disconnected and powered up off a outside source.

I pretty much tried everything again to include a complete rewire moving the receiver completely out of the hull and away from the motor, ESC and battery. The receiver is now all the way forward in the cabin and attached to the overhead. The antenna goes a few inches across the overhead and straight up through the wheelhouse and up the mast. I gained another 4 inches doing this so that may help some more when on the water. It makes no difference in the field tests.

I have tried replacing everything more than once and am convinced that I will never find the problem and just have to live with it. Here are a couple of pics of the current setup. That yellow looking wire along side the red antenna is actually a shadow.

Images

Have you tried pushing or pulling your Schooner? Curious how it worked out, as I am planning a 4 masted bark mod to my fire tramp (free sailer), and will likely need to pull the ship back to the harbor. Not sure my tug has enough umphf.

No Brooks...yesterday was the first time they have met up on the high seas. As you could see in pics in the Prince de Neufchatel thread, it was a 5-15 mph variable day and I had no opportunity to get the 2 together...although the Bristol Bay managed to do a dead center full speed T-Bone into the schooner.

I only hope to have to use the tug for rescue in a dead calm or a grounding. If I do ground the schooner, I feel I will more than likely have to try to encircle with a kite or fish line and run back to shore so I can pull both ends of the line. The mud here is like quicksand and sticks like glue so I don't feel confident the tug could push or pull that heavy plate ballast out of it.

It was all I could do to sail both ships without a collison and finally had to get Capt. Sunshine to pilot the tug back in for me while I concentrated on the schooner....she is way more than a hand full. I think you will need to have several plans ready for rescue in case the first couple don't work.

Sure looks beautiful on the water, both boats. And running 2 at once, whoo boy, you are The Skipper! I have trouble just running the tug and a tow: yesterday, I was so focused on placing the tramp at the mooring, (with audience, of course), that I forgot to keep an eye on the tug on the other end of the line, and ran it aground on the beach, hoho.

My "Pamir-like" will only be 3' long, more HO scale than anything else. The subdivision's pond is 3 acres, with a path all the way around. So, rescue will only be needed if it she hits the Sargasso Sea(weed), or get's taken aback. I used to just swim for the brigantine when she got in trouble, once racing a dog who thought the brigantine would make a good retrieve :-). But it's always wise to have a backup rescue plan, I agree.

Atlantic Harbor vs. Vac-U-Tug Jr.?

I am just wondering how these compare.
I know that Allantic has a bigger motor and is about 8" longer and one is a kit vs. being already built.
But then it seems like people are taking out the ESC and changing the radio anyway.
It would be a second boat for me after building the Footy Kittiwake, which I have been very happy with.
I was thinking about buying/building something that I could just putt around with. And maybe rescue my Footy, but haven't needed it.
So why would you want one vs. the other?
I figure the cost wouldn't be too far apart.
I have a DX6, but I am thinking I want a different radio so that I can run them both at the same time (ie. two people).
I know the Atlantic has more detail parts, but that doen't matter a lot to me.
My wife does like to see the little people on the boats though.
Thanks!